Nicole Wagner – Creating Success Despite Setbacks

Sometimes in our lives we hit a wall, an obstacle that feels insurmountable and overwhelming. For some, these are moments of defeat, but for others, they’re moments of ascension—of overcoming things that have held us back. Nicole Wagner is one of those people.

A Vancouver girl by birth, Nicole and her husband moved to Oregon eleven years ago, where they both started their own businesses. Since then, Nicole’s makeup company has won a number of wedding industry awards and is one of the area’s most sought after businesses for professional hair and makeup application. But her success has meant long hours and a lot of hard work, which started to take its toll over the years. Three years ago, she learned she was suffering from Lyme disease, and affected by the associated chronic pain and fatigue. It’s no wonder she was exhausted: at the time, she was managing a thriving business, spending every weekend doing hands-on makeup artistry, and regularly teaching workshops all over North America.

A stroke of luck

Nicole soon felt like she’d hit a rut. Her work as a makeup artist worsened her pain, which left her tired and discouraged. After working so hard to build her business, she now felt unable to continue with it. “There were days when I couldn’t get out of bed. I really felt like the best years of my life were over.” She knew she needed to work less, but entrepreneurship was a huge part of her identity, and she was terrified to lose it. In the end, she decided to scale back her business and take on less physically demanding work.

Last summer, while leading a makeup workshop in New York, the name Rodan + FieldsⓇ came up in conversation. Nicole saw some “before and after” photos, and thought, “this almost seems too good to be true!” But the Company intrigued her. “Something kept drawing me back, saying you need to look into this.” When she got home, she put out a request on Facebook, looking for R+F Consultants in her area. She got dozens of responses, but there was one that really stood out to her: the one from Beth Moyer. “I was immediately drawn to her, something inexplicable that told me she was the one, so I responded.” It turned out that Beth had been looking for an introduction to Nicole for a long time, as she had seen the success of her makeup business and thought that Nicole would make a fantastic R+F partner. Beth couldn’t believe her luck when Nicole replied to her message, and the two hit it off right away.

Nicole and some of her team leaders in Las Vegas for Convention. From left to right: Angie Bond, Shante Matlock, Beth Moyer, Nicole, Donna Johnson, and Asha Lloyd.

A solid foundation

At first, however, Nicole had no real interest in starting a new business—she just wanted to try the products. Seven weeks later, she shared her impressive results on her Facebook page, and the response persuaded her that it was time to become an Independent Consultant. She launched her Rodan + Fields business in September 2015, and “it just kind of blew up. For the next six months, I barely sat down.” She attributes this success to her long history in the beauty industry. “People knew and trusted me, and I was genuinely excited and eager about the products.” As she downsized her makeup business, she worried about throwing away years of hard work building her network and reputation, but in fact, she says, “all those relationships and contacts I had made, the trust and integrity that I had earned over the years, carried over perfectly into my R+F business.”

Nicole reached Level V in just five months working 20 hours a week. But she was still much too busy, and soon realized that it was time to further reduce her work with her makeup company. She is now very relieved she made that decision. “Summer 2017 is the first year I will have every weekend free to spend with my family, and I am so excited.” She can now make her own schedule and spend quality time with her daughters, something that lights her up with happiness. “I feel like I am such a better mom now, because I can be more present.”

Winter family photos of the Wagners, 2016.

A desire to inspire change

Now, working 10-15 hours per week, Nicole’s R+F business earns three times that of her previous one—not to mention that the startup was a breeze. With no financial requirement for overhead, branding, or rent, all she needed was the right attitude and to put in hard work. “I really hit the ground running; I used the products and started talking to people about them.” And her health has improved drastically, as she no longer spends eight hours a day on her feet doing makeup. These days, she works a few hours a day from home. “Now, I can work from my sofa or from bed. I just have to open my laptop. I’m so grateful to be at home.”

Nicole running a Mother’s Day 5K with her daughter Megan.

Nicole knows firsthand how lucky her children are to have a stay-at-home mom. Growing up, her single mom worked three jobs to keep them afloat, and even then, it was a struggle to keep food on the table. Her background has given her a keen drive to do something good in the world—to help change people’s lives. She sees others in her mom’s situation, and is eager to help them feel empowered to improve their own circumstances. Now she can offer an opportunity to do just that: to welcome others into a strong community of independent business owners that support and build each other up in times of need.

The information, materials and views provided by a Rodan + Fields Independent Consultant during this presentation are her or his own and do not necessarily represent the views of Rodan + Fields. Rodan + Fields makes no representations about the accuracy of the information. The stories shared may be atypical experiences among Consultants who join the business. Actual earnings vary significantly, and no income is promised or guaranteed. Potential Consultants are urged to perform their own due diligence prior to making any decision to participate.

For information regarding earnings under the Canada R+F Compensation Plan, see the Income Disclosure Statement. We estimate that in Canada the typical plan participant will earn between $1,700 and $2,000 CAD per year.

The Redefine Your Future blog is a small percentage of what Consultants have achieved, but does demonstrate what is possible with Rodan + Fields. There are many ways Consultants find success and enjoyment in the business, such as attaining great skin, gaining valuable business skills, and building relationships. Disclaimer: Personal testimonials reflect individual experiences of Rodan + Fields Consultants. Rodan & Fields, LLC makes no guarantee as to the amount of income, if any, that Consultants participating in the business opportunities described on this website will generate. As with any business, each Consultant’s business results may vary, and will be based on, among other factors, such Consultant’s individual capacity, business experience, expertise, and motivation. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the information on this website and are urged to perform their own due diligence prior to making any decision to enroll. For more information regarding earnings under the R+F Compensation Plan, see the Income Disclosure Statement.